Bless me, Ultima Analysis Free Example

Bless me, Ultima

In great pieces of art, it is not always that everything that is written by authors means exactly what it sounds or looks like. Thanks to the skillful use of special phenomena, experienced authors manage to veil their thoughts in such a way that few people only will be able to completely understand their original meaning. Thus, the main task of the given paper is to find and analyze any cases of symbolism used by Rudolfo Anaya in his Bless me, Ultima., which is possible to do by using contextual analysis of images of figurative language. The body of the paper is going to reveal a hidden meaning of four following phenomena: the Golden Carp, Ultima’s Owl, la Virgen de Guadalupe, and Antonio’s parents.

The symbol of the Golden Carp is closely connected with such notions as spirituality, religion, and God. The first acquaintance with this fish happens when Samuel tells a legend. According to it, “a long time ago, when the earth was young and only wandering tribes touched the virgin grasslands and drank from the pure streams, a strange people came to this land” (Anaya 79). The story was about the Native Americans who were turned into carp because they had angered their gods. However, there was also a god who wanted to keep protecting the people, which made him a golden carp, too. For Antonio being a Catholic, it was a real discovery because the situation pointed out at the existence of a new god. With this in mind, it should be clear that the Golden Carp represents an alternative to the Catholic God. Although Antonio is a Catholic, he is also a representative of natural power and wisdom. Similar to the Native Americans, Antonio has a supernatural power that is personified with the help of the Golden Carp.

Next to the Golden Carp, it is necessary to pay attention to la Virgen de Guadalupe (the Virgin of Guadalupe). In short, this is the symbol of forgiveness, which can be understood when compared to the Virgin Mary and her life. At the same time, the given symbol is said to have a deeper meaning. According to it, la Virgen de Guadalupe represents the women’s ability to nurture and forgive others. This ability or so-called power reside in women only, and that is why it cannot be questioned at all. In order to dispel any doubts, it is reasonable to take a look at Antonio’s words stating that the Virgin Mary “always forgave. Perhaps the best god would be a woman, because only women really knew how to forgive” (137). What is more, the author decided to prove this thought with real actions described in his novel. Thus, Tenorio cannot forgive Ultima even when it is not proved for sure that it is she who is guilty of his daughter’s death. At the same time, Ultima easily forgives him even being in the teeth of death. Of course, the given state of affairs cannot be explained by their gender peculiarities only, but the fact remains.

The following case of the symbolism can be exemplified by Ultima’s owl. At first, it can sound a bit strange because Tenorio was pretty clear describing the bird with “It is the owl that is the spirit of the old witch” (254-255). This is the most straightforward symbol ever that need not any further explanation. To prove it, it is necessary to recollect that the witch dies shortly after the bird is killed. Also, it is possible to suppose that it is the owl that represents Ultima’s dark and vengeful side, which becomes evident when the owl manages to rip out Tenorio’s eye. At the same time, the owl is not an unambiguous character; it does have some contradictory features. To explain, the first time Antonio saw the bird, he was frightened by it, but a closer acquaintance made him believe the owl was a kind of protector because its songs appeared to protect others. So, it should become apparent that there is something more complex behind the character of the bird. The author has managed to show a close connection between nature and people with the help of the owl. To be more exact, when the owl sang, it “calmed the moonlit hills lulled [them] to sleep” (13). In other words, people calm down when nature does so. From this point of view, it should become clear that the owl symbolizes the fact that animals share spirits of all human beings.

To continue, Antonio’s parents represent another portion of the symbolism that is present in the novel. Main author’s intentions become evident when we just take a look at his mother’s last name. The fact here is that Luna is usually associated with the moon; moreover, it is a Spanish word for the moon. Not only the surname but also a lot of other things connect the woman and her family to this celestial body. To explain, the Moon also symbolizes farming that is the main activity of the Lunas. As an obvious consequence of this activity, the family had to stay always in the same place. This symbol is realized by Antonio saying “I learned that the phases of the moon ruled not only the planting but almost every part of their lives. That is why they were the Lunas!” (249). On the other hand, there is Antonio’s father and his family – the Márez. Their last name solely is not able to directly point at any hidden information or implied meaning. A closer analysis, however, reveals that the surname stands for the sea and the wind that influences the water in a certain way. In this case, the sea is opposed to the Moon in a way that the sea and Antonio’s father are in constant motion. So it is possible to understand that the Márez are also not able to stay in the same place even if they have to. To prove this notion, the Márez are described by the author as men who are “as restless as the seas they sailed” (6). In addition to the separate figurative meaning above, the parents also represent a certain combination of symbols for Antonio. As soon as his parents are quite different, it is not a surprise that he is under completely opposite kinds of pressure throughout the whole novel. To explain, according to his mother, Antonio must be a farmer, while the father wants him to roam. As a result, this is a very difficult situation for Antonio, and he chooses something in-between.

In conclusion, the present paper has just shown that Bless me, Ultima is not that simple as it can appear at first sight. In the novel, there are a lot of symbols and notions that can impress us with their figurative meaning that is not evident while we are reading the novel casually. In order to summarize the main idea of the present paper, it can be reasonable to enumerate all the symbols above. So, the author has managed to transfer an alternative to God, forgiveness, the connection between people and nature, and the Moon with the Sea through such notions as the Golden Carp, la Virgen de Guadalupe, Ultima’s owl, and the Márez and the Lunas’ families.

Work Cited

Anaya, Rudolfo A. Bless Me, Ultima. Warner Books, 1994, https://www.academia.edu/8144296/Anaya_Rudolfo_A._BLESS_ME_ULTIMA_novel_1972_1994_.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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